This is a discussion on Your thoughts on technological advances on vehicles within the Everyday Impreza Talk forums, part of the Community - Meet other Enthusiasts category; In this day and age, vehicles are getting more technologically advanced. For example, cars can self-park, self-brake, self-steer and much ...

Your thoughts on technological advances on vehicles

In this day and age, vehicles are getting more technologically advanced. For example, cars can self-park, self-brake, self-steer and much much more. *The debate I want to start is whether you think these technological advances enhance 'drivers' ability to learn and adapt to conditions on the road or cripples them?

Feel free to post thoughts and facts. I want this to be an open debate!

I have a 2011 Ford Edge Limited AWD. That being said I love every piece of technology in the car except for ABS, but it doesn't do anything for me. It has a back up camera with sensors it makes backing into a parking spot a breeze and I know how far back I can go without having to get out. I cringe at these commercials that advertise auto braking etc. I think it will make people even less attentive to their driving. I travel the country for a living and it is very scary how many people drive distracted. It will just get worse and worse...

Last edited by wrxtreme06; 10-30-2013 at 08:51 PM.
Reason: No political talk

I can't stand all the digital tech. inside cars now. Spent the last couple days in a brand new Jeep Cherokee, full nav/touchscreen controls. Drove me nuts that I had to look at/navigate through the menus and look at the screen to adjust the fan power up and down.
With the touchscreen technology, there is no physical sensory feedback that lets you know when your hand is on the desired controller as there is with the button/knob setup. I felt I HAD to look at the navscreen to make my adjustments--an unnecessary distraction.

I feel that if we're going to have this sort of tech in cars it should be analog(ish) with knobs/buttons like my base WRX with an automatic function option or it should be fully voice controlled, initiated with a steering wheel push button. Again, as I have in my car. Or it should be something like saying "WRX (or whatever you name the system computer) turn the temperature up," etc.

As far as back up cameras, I think they are great for most people who don't know how the f*** to drive but should not be standard on all vehicles. In a week I learned to back a dump truck and trailer (Class-A) into a 90° parking stall and have the rear of the trailer be within 2' of the loading dock by using my mirrors, among the other required skills tests. Everyone else should at least be able to get their SUV out of a parking spot without hitting me in the opposing aisle.

Definitely agree how irritating/scary it is passing people and seeing them not looking at the road and obviously looking at phone/tablet/shaving/wtfever.

This discussion was started because the feature of hill assist +1 on the WRX but no automatic doors being installed on the car. I find it really inconvenient and dangerous in some areas of where you drive your car.

The WRX/STI should be a drivers car but capabilities like hill assists and what not takes the drivers feel of the vehicle which I find it really stupid to install features like auto locking breaks...

*****If we have features like auto-pilot, breaking, etc. can't we sue the manufacturing company for having features like this if it "malfunctions"?

Ahhh, things like hill assist. Always forget about that one. Guess where I stop/go it's relatively flat. I don't dislike hill assist but if it were optional I would NOT have gotten it.

I guess you could probably bring a case against the manufacturer if the system malfunctioned, causing an accident/damage and it could be proven it was the malfunction was certainly the cause. I guess the best example here might be the auto-braking. Say it engages on the freeway when there is no reason for it and the person behind you does not have it or does not stop. Seems to me that would be on the car maker.

Don't have too much to say about that though as I'm not a lawyer and don't really care for the common litigious attitude. Kind of an interesting/worrisome thought though.

As far as back up cameras, I think they are great for most people who don't know how the f*** to drive but should not be standard on all vehicles. In a week I learned to back a dump truck and trailer (Class-A) into a 90° parking stall and have the rear of the trailer be within 2' of the loading dock by using my mirrors, among the other required skills tests. Everyone else should at least be able to get their SUV out of a parking spot without hitting me in the opposing aisle.

Definitely agree how irritating/scary it is passing people and seeing them not looking at the road and obviously looking at phone/tablet/shaving/wtfever.

No, these shouldn't even exist. People need to learn how to drive or not be allowed to. If you are too stupid to learn how to back in/back out of a parking spot/parallel park/pay attention while operating a 3000+ lb potential-death-machine, then you should not be allowed to operate any such thing. I personally believe these people that can't get the basics down, and use them, should also be sterilized to prevent a further descent towards a future akin to Idiocracy (movie all should watch, scary how many similarities there are already). That's me though, I also believe people shouldn't breed what they can't, or won't, feed. (I'm "extreme" in these views, according to my wife, so YMMV.)

Driving is supposed to be a privilege and it should be treated as such. All the automatic stuff disgusts me and all it means is that more and more morons will be on the roads - because "driving" is getting "easier".

All this stuff is also more causes for failure and expensive repairs. Since it's optional it often will not get fixed - resulting in another effed-up vehicle that nobody in their right mind can afford to fix. I had a Grand Cherokee that had all these "luxury" thingies busted and never fixed... And this "stuff-ing" may "help" incapable drivers, but it certainly does nothing to improve their actual driving capabilities, therefore I think it's rather the opposite effect. I learned on cars that had basically no electronics, other than a radio, maybe with cassette player. No auto locks or ABS, no A/C, cruise - not even electronic ignition.

I'm OK with ABS, Traction Control (as long as I can turn it 100% off when I want) and airbags galore. Backup cameras (I can live without) are nice because they don't interfere with the driving 'experience'. Everything else...leave it off my cars. Instead of adding all this technology, they need to enforce distracted driving better and increase fines. Then we won't need self-steering, self-braking cars. I think these things will just make drivers worse/dumber, not better.

Anything other than a addition to safety is not a technological advancement. It is a distraction. I see these ads of cars that will read your emails or messages to you & shake my head. Simply ridiculous.

Like someone said above,firstly its just more stuff that will fail & make you spend more money.

I can't stand all the digital tech. inside cars now. Spent the last couple days in a brand new Jeep Cherokee, full nav/touchscreen controls. Drove me nuts that I had to look at/navigate through the menus and look at the screen to adjust the fan power up and down.
With the touchscreen technology, there is no physical sensory feedback that lets you know when your hand is on the desired controller as there is with the button/knob setup. I felt I HAD to look at the navscreen to make my adjustments--an unnecessary distraction.

I feel that if we're going to have this sort of tech in cars it should be analog(ish) with knobs/buttons like my base WRX with an automatic function option or it should be fully voice controlled, initiated with a steering wheel push button. Again, as I have in my car. Or it should be something like saying "WRX (or whatever you name the system computer) turn the temperature up," etc.

As far as back up cameras, I think they are great for most people who don't know how the f*** to drive but should not be standard on all vehicles. In a week I learned to back a dump truck and trailer (Class-A) into a 90° parking stall and have the rear of the trailer be within 2' of the loading dock by using my mirrors, among the other required skills tests. Everyone else should at least be able to get their SUV out of a parking spot without hitting me in the opposing aisle.

Definitely agree how irritating/scary it is passing people and seeing them not looking at the road and obviously looking at phone/tablet/shaving/wtfever.

The backup camera has nothing to do with backing out of a parking spot. Clearly you missed the part about backing into a parking spot and not having to get out to see how close I can actually get. When in NJ parking spots in parking garages are very tight. Parking a 4,000 lb tank in one of these spots is tight and 2 foot would leave the front bumper out in the driving lane I find your response quite appalling seems how you ripped me for mentioning a very true statement about "politics" because of forum rules, but apparently it is okay for you to swear and not follow forum rules (No Profanity, Especially in Thread Titles) and say I can't drive because I use a tool that I paid for and you don't even know me(No Personal Attacks).... Also every piece of tech on my Edge can be turned off, plus there is a handy little button that you push and tell the car what to do Example. Ipod, play song, simple man. Never have to take your eyes off the road etc... Every SUV I have seen you pay extra for a touch screen no different than the WRX. When you purchase the lower end vehicle you get old style knobs etc... For the record I have parallel parked a rollback pulling a 20ft enclosed trailer....

Blanket statements almost always totally fail on this sort of subject (except mine of course lol). The truth is there is a fine line and that line is in a different place for everyone. Where that line falls is NOT necessarily depended on skill level at all. For every example of how technology can make simple things more cumbersome (and therefore more distracting) there are examples of how it has the opposite effect. Just as there are examples of how it can increase safety and also have the opposite effect.

As far as back up cameras, anyone who has a sharply sloped driveway (as I do and is very is common in north GA where I happen to live) and/or has kids (as I do) and/or has a larger vehicle that makes it difficult to see said small kids and their toys directly behind it (like my wife's mini van) and/or frequently uses tight metro parking garage, likely fully understands the value of back up cameras. I too have little sympathy for people who can't even parallel park a civic because of lack in skill but those with the skill to park large trucks with only the use of mirrors, typically do so on nice flat surfaces where the chance of children playing behind them is very slim.... as opposed to those conditions one may find in a family home neighborhood driveway (sharply sloped & children/toys around).

Whether all things that claim to increase safety should be "mandatory" IS a subject that can quickly turn to/involve political philosophies.. I firmly believe though that we can discuss subjects like these without making them inherently political in the sense that they are prohibited by rules. I personally do not believe there needs to be much in the way of mandatory safety features as inherently unsafe things almost inevitably become poor business decisions relatively quickly. Auto manufactures are forced to care about their reputations and compete to offer safer products.

Originally Posted by 13WRXlimited

The backup camera has nothing to do with backing out of a parking spot. Clearly you missed the part about backing into a parking spot and not having to get out to see how close I can actually get. When in NJ parking spots in parking garages are very tight. Parking a 4,000 lb tank in one of these spots is tight and 2 foot would leave the front bumper out in the driving lane I find your response quite appalling seems how you ripped me for mentioning a very true statement about "politics" because of forum rules, but apparently it is okay for you to swear and not follow forum rules (No Profanity, Especially in Thread Titles) and say I can't drive because I use a tool that I paid for and you don't even know me(No Personal Attacks).... Also every piece of tech on my Edge can be turned off, plus there is a handy little button that you push and tell the car what to do Example. Ipod, play song, simple man. Never have to take your eyes off the road etc... Every SUV I have seen you pay extra for a touch screen no different than the WRX. When you purchase the lower end vehicle you get old style knobs etc... For the record I have parallel parked a rollback pulling a 20ft enclosed trailer....

I don't know that he was directing his comments toward you specifically. I think he was more just making statements about the subject.

-The J

"Driving most supercars is like trying to manhandle a cow up a back staircase. . . This is like smearing honey into Keira Knightly" -JC

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